There have in the past been provided many devices to hold the zero end of a measuring tape in a fixed position so that one person can make various measurements without the need for a helper to hold the tape in position. Such devices are particularly useful for contractors, surveyors, and other types of professional and trade people but can also be used by the homeowner for various projects around the home.
One such device is disclosed in the Lynde, U.S. Pat. No. 3,662,471, issued May 16, 1972, which shows a cast iron block 10 with a hook-eye 14 at one end and a hook 13 at the other end. The block hook is designed, as seen in FIG. 7, to hold a loop-type tape and the hook-eye 14 as shown in FIG. 5, is adapted to hold a hook-type tape end. The bottom of the block 12 is bonded to a piece of foam material 15 for the purpose of frictionally engaging the ground or floor to hold the device from sliding. The foam 15 is a problem because it permits the block to shift slightly while the tape is pulled even without the lower surface of the foam 15 sliding simply by the lateral deformation of the foam. Another problem with this design is that the block 12 is usually positioned between the mark, such as the vertical wall, at the beginning of the tape so that compensation is required to make measurements. Lynde attempts to solve this problem in FIGS. 8 and 9 with a slotted bottom in the foam, but this embodiment is suggested only for use with a chalk line and not with a tape. Furthermore, it is difficult to determine how the tape can be bent around in the fashion shown with the chalk line 27 in FIGS. 8 and 9 without causing either damage to the tape or again requiring some measurement compensation.
The tape line shown in the Rand, U.S. Pat. No. 1,290,350, issued Jan. 17, 1919, discloses using a pointed member, but it is in fact a screw assembly that is pivotal directly to the tape so that it is not an after-market item. The screw also must be threaded into the floor or ground, and in some applications this could be unsuitable.
The same deficiency is found in the Di Tomasso, U.S. Pat. No. 1,542,990, issued Nov. 22, 1923, because the tooth or spur 12 must be driven into the work to hold the tape end in position.
The Morrison, U.S. Pat. No. 3,145,477, issued Aug. 25, 1964, and the Martin, U.S. Pat. No. 4,353,167, issued Oct. 12, 1982, show magnet-type end holders that require measurement compensation.
The Drew, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,711,030, issued Apr. 19, 1955, shows a suction cup tape end holder, and the Berkovic, U.S. Pat. No. 2,686,366, issued Aug. 17, 1954, shows a tape end holder that is designed specifically for clothing.
The Shields, U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,924, issued Mar. 19, 1991, shows a tape device that is not in fact a tape holder at all. In Shields, the tape is held in position against the work by tape hook 5 when the two part block member that receives the tape is not for the purpose of holding the tape in position at all, but for the purpose of making repeated measurement marks a fixed distance from the tape hook 5. That is, the two part block 3 and 4 is clamped around the tape in a position so the surface 6A is the distance desired to be marked from the tape end 5. The worker then positions the tape hook 5 over the starting position and then whacks surface 11 with a hammer causing blade 6 to mark and groove the workpiece at the desired marking location. Thus, this is not a tape end holder at all and is, therefore, not relevant.
Other patents that show tape end holders include the Buhler, U.S. Pat. No. 5,214,859, issued Jun. 1, 1993; the Knapp, U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,657, issued Apr. 30, 1991; and the Hanson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,030, issued Sep. 10, 1974.
It is a primary object of the present invention to ameliorate the problems noted above in measuring tape holders.